A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to facilities and methods of constructing a shelter facility that includes a prefabricated building and associated external support equipment. More specifically, the invention relates to transportable equipment shelter facilities of prefabricated panel construction which are shipped with contained equipment to a site of use. The present invention also relates to the manufacture of shelter facilities using a single extended support base to support both the shelter and external support equipment.
B. Description of the Related Art
Equipment shelter facilities are commonly used to house and protect sensitive electrical equipment and devices from external hazards such as dirt, weather, animals and vandalism. Such facilities often house telecommunication equipment, fiber optic devices, analyzers or motor control equipment. Setup of a shelter facility typically requires emplacement of a prefabricated shelter, often at a remote or undeveloped site, and installation and testing of the machinery and equipment being housed within by trained specialists using tools and equipment that are often not conveniently transported and operated at such sites.
Normally, the shelter is constructed of wall, roof and floor panels made of prefabricated glass fiber reinforced concrete or similar materials. The completed shelter is sometimes affixed to lightweight metal skids and may be shipped as a unit to a site for installation. Upon arrival at an operational site, the shelter facility is normally placed in a location having a prepared foundation such as a preexisting concrete surface, footings or a concrete slab that has been poured and cured at the site specifically for supporting the shelter facility. These shelter facilities are then adapted at the operational site for service.
Electrical power to the shelter facility is a primary concern for the site user, and must be properly installed and operational soon after delivery of the building. Electricity may, of course, be available at some sites by connection with a preexisting power source such as an electrical substation or power line. Where such preexisting power sources are not available, or where a dedicated source of backup or emergency power to the facility is needed when primary power sources fail, a generator or other power source is usually installed either inside the shelter (see FIG. 2) or adjacent to the shelter with conduits carrying the wiring to the building (FIG. 1).
The advantages of placing the power source inside the shelter are that the equipment can be installed within the building during construction at the manufacturing plant, and the testing or repair of the equipment with the power connections already made may be conducted under ideal conditions where trained specialists, parts and equipment are readily available. Placing the generator inside the building during manufacturing also avoids some of the usual causes for time delay in completion of the facility, such as inclement weather and the logistics of coordinating variously skilled workers, specialists and equipment at an undeveloped site many miles away.
Often, however, such multifunctional use of the building is unsuitable, or it is economically undesirable as the end user must order a shelter large enough to accommodate all of the equipment. It is more costly to use a shelter that also houses the auxiliary equipment because of the added complexity of such structures. Generators, for example, must usually be installed in a separate room from the primary use room, which requires additional materials and manpower to construct. In addition, these separate power rooms require efficient ventilation systems for removal of generator exhaust gas and a source of cooling power to prevent generator overheating. Complexity and costs of construction, operation and maintenance climb further when environmental controls are included for the generator rooms. These added complications and expense are difficult to justify, since generator rooms are not useful for most other purposes. The increased security provided from placement of the power source within the shelter is offset for some users by the increased size and cost required by such shelters.
In many instances, the power source is already housed in a weather protective cabinet that may offer some protection from weather, vandalism or damage by animals. If additional security is desired, the equipment or the building and the equipment together are sometimes encircled by a security fence such as a chain link fence topped with barbed wire.
Separately delivering and installing the auxiliary equipment is often a more economical alternative to an interior generator room. However, certain disadvantages are still present. One or more trained specialists must go to the operational site, make the proper connections and test, adjust or repair the equipment. Specifically, wiring a stand-alone generator, for example, to a building complicates the installation process, requiring the coordinated efforts of variously skilled individuals at remote sites. Conduit must be run from the generator to the building and the wires must be pulled through the conduit and connected at the building and the generator. Only upon installing and filling the liquid propane tank and testing the equipment at the site can it be determined if the generator and the apparatus inside the building are working together properly. If inadequately tested at startup, damage to a generator may remain undetected until power from the inoperable generator is needed. Furthermore, the variable quality of on-site connections from the generator to the building increases the chances that the facility will fail on startup or will malfunction later on. For example, the generator may perform inappropriately either by unexpected and unnecessary operation or by a failure of the generator to operate when needed.
A practical method of installing auxiliary equipment for use with a building that provides adequate protection to the equipment, provides easier testing and repair of the equipment, and alleviates some of the logistical problems associated with set-up and operation at a remote site location would be a valuable addition to the industry.
The present invention provides a single oversized or extended support base for a conventional equipment shelter and the associated power source. The shelter and power source are separately and permanently attached to the base while at the place of manufacturing to form a transportable unitary shelter facility that is more easily and efficiently installed at the use site. Such combination avoids the additional labor and expense associated with installing equipment such as a generator in a separate room within the building because it eliminates the need for the extra door, and larger wall, roof, and floor panels, ventilation systems, environmental controls and related items. The shelter facility and methods of the present invention also avoid the logistical problems associated with on-site external installation of auxiliary equipment because installation of the facility reduces the need to coordinate the activities of different people at a remote site and provides greater assurance to the manufacturer and the user that the installation has been done correctly and that everything will work as it should upon startup at the use site.
By using the method of the present invention, a manufacturer can fully install and test out the equipment, such as an emergency power system, for example, before it is sent to the site.
The entire equipment shelter and attached emergency power system of the present invention is transportable in that it can be picked up and moved from the installation site to another location, if desired. In fact, it could be moved to a location where there is no commercial power available and it would be ready to run anyway. The support base provided by the present invention is also capable of accepting additional wall and roof sections in the event the customer would like to extend his building on site. Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description.